SUNS FANS DIAL UP ENERGY

Clippers fend off lackluster Suns

The Suns’ Deandre Ayton, above, dunks against the Clippers’ Terance Mann during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday, the same day Suns guard Devin Booker was announced as a member of Team USA for the Olympics. The Suns entered Game 5 with a 3-1 lead over the Clippers in the series.

The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t ready to have their season end.

Despite not having first-team All-NBA selection Kawhi Leonard and starting center Ivica Zubac, both out with knee injuries, the fourth-seeded Clippers defeated the second-seeded Phoenix Suns, 116-102, in Monday’s Game 5 of the Western Conference finals at Phoenix Suns Arena.

Paul George scored a game-high 41 points to lead the Clippers as the Suns

must now head back to Los Angeles for Wednesday’s Game 6, up 3-2 in this best-of-7 series.

If there’s a Game 7, it will be played Friday in Phoenix.

Looking to return to the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history and the first time since 1993, Phoenix still has two opportunities to win one more game and return to the championship round after an 11-year playoff drought.

The Clippers are now 3-0 when facing elimination in this year’s playoffs. They came back from a 3-2 deficit to top the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

They were down 2-0 to the Mavs and the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals, but took the next four against the Jazz to reach the conference finals.

Los Angeles has been without Leonard since he suffered a right knee sprain in Game 4 of the conference semifinals.

The Clippers started the conference finals down 2-0 as Deandre Ayton’s lob dunk with 0.7 seconds left gave the Suns a dramatic 104-103 Game 2 win in Phoenix.

They won Game 3, but dropped Game 4 Saturday, 84-80, as Zubac hurt his knee in that game.

The Suns finished 1-2 against the Clippers during the regular season. They reached the conference finals the last time they made the playoffs in 2010 before losing to the late Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

This is the first trip to the conference finals for the Clippers.

The Clippers-Suns series winner will face the either the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks or fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the finals that’ll begin either July 6 or 8.

If the Bucks-Hawks series winner goes six games or less, the finals will start July 6. If it goes seven games, the

PHOTOS BY PATRICK BREEN, BENJAMIN CHAMBERS AND ROB SCHUMACHER/THE REPUBLIC

ROB SCHUMACHER/THE REPUBLIC Clippers guard Paul George (13) scores past Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25) and Devin Booker during Game 5 Monday night.

PATRICK BREEN/THE REPUBLIC Clippers’ Patrick Beverley (21) steals the ball from Suns guard Chris Paul during the first quarter Monday night at the Phoenix Suns Arena.

PATRICK BREEN/THE REPUBLIC finals will start July 8. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Clippers' Patrick Beverley (21) makes fun of Suns' Chris Paul (3) after fouling him during the third quarter of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals at the Phoenix Suns Arena. will be Tuesday in Atlanta. Milwaukee has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

ROB SCHUMACHER/THE REPUBLIC J Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after losing to the Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals for the NBA Playoffs on Monday night at Phoenix Suns Arena.

ROB SCHUMACHER/THE REPUBLIC Suns fans react in the fourth quarter against the Clippers during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.